To Walkabout and Back

December 15-23, 2025                                     Most Recent Posts:
Fort Clinch State Park                                      Dickens On Centre More Fun
Fernandina Beach, Florida                              Dickens on Centre

This year I spent 6 weeks in total at Fort Clinch State Park Campground in Fernandina Beach.   Like most years, I spent the first two weeks of November here since it is an easy first stop in Florida on the Atlantic Coast.  But this year I came back again for Dickens On Centre and since I was here in the middle of December, I flew out of Jacksonville to go to Maryland to spend Christmas with Carrie and her family.  That meant I had to be at Fort Clinch again at the end of December.  Since unfortunately for me, state and national parks only allow you to stay for 2 weeks at a time, I had to move for 3 days before I could come back for my final stay.

I drove over the state line into Georgia for those 3 days and stayed at Walkabout Camp and RV Park which was one of the first places David and I stayed on our first trip to Florida during our first year of full timing.  It was owned by an Australian couple who had just started it.  It’s been at least over 10 years since I’ve been there.

They now have a swimming pool and farm animals.

Cattle

Goats

Pigs

And chickens.

Free range hens were wandering around all the rigs including mine.  Here were a couple of the most interesting.  Should have asked if Walkabout sold eggs.

Fluffy leggings on what I imagine is an Orpington

This chicken with the pom pom is a Polish.  We raised chickens but mostly Buff Orpingtons and Rhode Island Reds since they are good layers.  Polish while friendly and beautiful are not.   Still I wish now I’d had a couple just for fun.

There was a disc golf course and walking trails which apparently no longer go across the boardwalk.

Back at Fort Clinch  I had a few days before my flight on the 23rd.

Pooh and I worked on the Advent puzzle.   I never do 1000 piece puzzles because the pieces are too small, they take too long and I no longer have someone to help me do them.  But this one is 1000 pieces in little dated boxes so you do just a section each day.   GREAT IDEA!   I’ve talked about this in a previous post since I’ve been working on it since the 1st thanks to my friends Mary and Pete who sent it to me.

This is my last stay so close to the ocean I can walk over so I did every day I was here.

On Winter Solstice it was barely dawn when I went out for sunrise.  I’ve lightened this just a tad so you can see the path to the beach.

I was very surprised to see two runners with head lamps.  Usually this early, I’m all alone.

Here’s how the ocean break water  looked just a bit later on this cloudy foggy morning.

And the dunes behind it.

No sign of the sun at official sunrise time.  This was the first hint sometime later.

Other than those 2 runners, it was just me and the birds celebrating the Winter Solstice.

The sun is pretty far up before it starts burning a hole for itself.

But once it does I’m happy to see it.   The longest night of the year is over and Winter has officially begun though as far as I can tell it has already been unusually cold all up and down the east coast including Florida.

Back at the rig Pooh and I do our puzzle pieces for today.  We’ll have to finish it after I get back from Christmas with Carrie and her family.  Coming up next.

Dickens On Centre More Fun

December 13-14, 2025                                  Most Recent Posts:
Fernandina Beach Florida                            Dickens on Centre
                                                                            The Week Between

If you haven’t seen my first post about Dickens on Centre (link above), this one will make more sense if you read that one first.

The last two days of Dickens on Centre were jam packed from 8:30 am to 9pm on Saturday and from 10am to 3pm on Sunday.   I was there for nearly all of it.

SATURDAY

For the runners, beginning at 8:30am was “Run Like the Dickens”.  You should be here Pete.   In my younger running days I would definitely have done this especially since it a really short fun run.  One mile along the beach with complementary hot chocolate and coffee.  Prizes were awarded though since I wasn’t there I don’t know what they were or for what they were awarded. 

Now for my biggest mistake.  They had  Parade of Paws at 9 am Saturday morning and I didn’t get there in time to see it.  Judging from what I did see it must have been great.  For sure on my list for next time.

The Christmas Wish tree was where you’d grab a wooden wish tag and write your Christmas Wish on it and hang it on the tree.   Really great and popular idea.

Of course all the wishes are hanging on the lower half of the tree.

There were white decorations, bulbs and garland already on the tree.   You could hang as many wishes as you like.

Dressed volunteers were providing programs all around town.

Throughout the week-end these young artists were doing chalk art.  I stopped by each day to see them.

This is the Old Vic Theater.  Throughout the week-end it showed  The Man Who Invented Christmas – They Charles Dickens Story which is what I am watching here.  It was only shown once on Saturday as were The Muppet Christmas Carol and Polar Express, Elf was shown on both Saturday and Sunday and The Santa Clause once each of the 3 days of the festival.

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Tiny Tim’s Kids Zone had all sorts of entertainment for kids.

Of course there were arts and crafts vendors on each street which had a special name for the occasion.  Peddler’s Village, Artist Alley, Oliver’s Alley, Cratchit’s Corner and my favorite Oliver’s Eats.  More please!

Lunch for Saturday was a tray of delicious “loaded nachos”

Love the Bobby with his night stick.

Later in the day, the street art was coming right along.

The Enchanted Snow Globe Village was going on all day and into the evening as it was on Friday and Sunday.

Unique to Saturday night from 6-9pm was Dickens After Dark, Marley’s Masquerade.  A Victorian Costume party for the holiday season.  They bill it as a “VIP soiree complete with stilt walkers, jugglers, live music, dancing and more.  Costumes required, masks optional”.  Since I didn’t do it, I don’t remember what it costs but it includes what they call Heavy hors d’oeuvres,  beer and wine bar, the entertainment and dance music and tarot card readings as well as a Dickens After Dark souvenir phot booth.  These two are the only paid activities which go to make the rest of the week-end free.   I am amazed that Jason Woods  A Christmas Carol was free on Friday.

SUNDAY

On Sunday I walked back to the festivities and wandered around just checking to see what I might have missed.  People were still dressed in periodesque clothing.

Another British Bobby though this one needs a night stick in his hand.

The street artists were hard a work again.

I was just amazed at what they did with chalk.  After all this work I’m glad I won’t be downtown after it rains or when the cars move back onto the Centre Street Parking.   Their drawings were fantastic.

I’d particularly wanted to see the play Alice in A Christmas Wonderland at 1:o0.
There were three half hour plays performed multiple times on the Main Stage throughout both Saturday and  Sunday..  I saw two of the three.

I missed The Little Toy Shoppe and am sorry I did.  But I did catch The Legend of St Nick which was right before Alice.

I’m not sure exactly what the story was but this seems to be a short play written just for this occasion since my trying to google the plot for this blog netted me zero.

Here’s what I remember.  Jack Frost is up to no good.   He’s in the service of some kind of ice Queen.  But at the moment she is none too happy with him.

There is a very nice woodcutter named Nicholas whom Jack freezes with his icy fingers……great icy looking stuff cleverly provided at several points by down stage gun.

Not sure who this fairy looking person was but her costume was great.

Somehow the ice queen takes control back and Nicholas who has been going around helping a little girl find her teddy bear becomes St Nicholas.
Obviously I should have watched it more than once since a month later I don’t remember the plot.

15 minutes after The Legend of St Nick, Alice in Christmas Wonderland began so I just kept my seat.   No problem following this story.

This is at the end of course but it shows where we were sitting to watch.
From left to right, the Mad Hatter, the Caterpillar,  the Queen of Hearts,  Alice and the White Rabbit.   The costumes here were also wonderful.  You can see the Cheshire Cat’s head above and to the left of Alice.

The White Rabbit is asking big Alice for help to avoid another wicked queen.

The wonderful Queen of Hearts.

Big Alice and The Mad Hatter

After she’s had the “drink me” potion,  Little Alice encounters the Caterpillar.

Eventually the Rabbit and the Queen get together.  Can’t remember why the queen was yelling off with his head.

Each of these productions was only 1/2 hour long and was fantastic!   Fabulous costumes in both cases.

Dickens On Centre is a stand out week-end amazing in the set up, the number of things to do and the quality of everything.  Go out of your way, as I did, to see it is my advice.